New combo therapy aims to shrink head and neck tumors before surgery
NCT ID NCT07554768
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether giving radiation along with immunotherapy before surgery works better than immunotherapy alone for people with advanced head and neck cancer. About 36 adults with treatable but advanced cancer will be split into two groups. The goal is to see if the combination leads to fewer cancer cells left after surgery.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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May 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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May 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Histologically confirmed, treatment-naive, resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). 2. Clinical stage III to IVB (according to AJCC 8th edition), excluding HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer. 3. PD-L1 expression with a Combined Positive Score (CPS) ≥ 1. 4. Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score ≥ 70. 5. Age between 18 and 70 years (inclusive). 6. Evaluated by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) as resectable or borderline resectable, and suitable for preoperative Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT). 7. Adequate organ function within 7 days prior to enrollment, meeting laboratory criteria for hematology, liver, and renal function. 8. Anatomical requirements for SBRT: Lesions must be localized with adequate anatomical space for high-precision radiotherapy without exceeding safety limits for Organs at Risk (OARs). 9. Voluntary participation with a signed Informed Consent Form (ICF). Exclusion Criteria: 1. Prior radical surgery, radiotherapy, or immunotherapy for head and neck malignancies. 2. Severe comorbidities that may interfere with study participation, such as uncontrolled cardiovascular disease or active infections. 3. Active Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (HBsAg positive and HBV DNA ≥ 500 IU/mL). 4. Pregnant or breastfeeding women. 5. Any other condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, makes the patient unsuitable for enrollment.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- New PET tracer aims to light up hidden cancer targets
- Can immunotherapy before surgery stop early oral cancer from returning?
- Can a glowing dye show surgeons where head and neck tumors end?
- Radiation plus targeted antibody tested in older head and neck cancer patients
- Can a Four-Part combo before surgery wipe out head and neck tumors?
- Can immunotherapy before surgery shrink head and neck tumors?